A FRIANCIAL FRIENDGER IN TIME: The icy origin of a beer star
Did you ever wonder how a simple mixture of microorganisms could change forever the way we enjoy beer? The yeast known as Saccharomyces Pastornus, responsible for the popular low fermentation beer, is not just a product of chance. It is the result of a hybrid history, an unlikely crossing that perhaps happened long before we imagine. And the key to this story is in a meeting that took place in a corner in Germany several centuries ago, at a time when the real orders regulated every drop that was poured into the taverns.
Of fermentations other than a revolutionary hybrid
At present, we clearly differentiate between two large types of brewing yeasts: those of high fermentation, which elaborate the ALES on the surface and at moderate temperatures, and those of low fermentation, which work at the bottom of the fermenter at icy temperatures, producing what we all know as Lager. But in past times, the story of these yeasts was much simpler; The beer tradition was based on a common family, the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, the same one we use to make our favorite wings.
The secret behind the global popularization of the Lager
Until the early twentieth century, almost all the beer in the world was produced with those same ancestral yeasts. However, a gigantic change occurred in just a century: today, more than 90% of beer production uses low fermentation yeasts. The story goes back to an era when the possibility of creating this hybrid seemed only science fiction, but now, new research suggests that this mixture happened long before what we think, in a bavaria dominated by strict rules and entrenched traditions.
Was the weather the catalyst of a brewing innovation?
The historical analysis of beer records in Central Europe reveals that in Bavaria, already in the 16th century, the production of low fermentation beer was a daily practice. This contradicts the traditional belief that Lager yeast arose in the 18th century. The most intriguing hypothesis now postulates that the spark occurred when a high fermentation yeast, a native of neighboring Bohemia, came into contact with a cold -resistant version of Saccharomyces Eubayanus, detected in distant forests and fungi there in Patagonia.
The perfect setting for an epic mutation in beer
The famous Bavarian purity law of 1516 limited the ingredients and elaboration techniques, but also established the need for cold -resistant beers to survive in the cold regions of Bavaria. In that context, the import of wheat beer from Bohemia became a usual practice. In 1548, the ruler Bavaro Wilhelm IV granted him a special privilege for a local baron to produce wheat beer, facing strict regulations. What happened later was a game of coincidences and inheritances: the disappearance of the Degenberg lineage in 1602 left a legacy in the hands of Duke Maximiliano, who in that year led to a yeast from Einbeck to Munich.
The starting point of a revolution in beer
This transfer of high fermentation yeast, joining its genes with those of the resistant Saccharomyces Eubayanus, triggered the creation of a new hybrid strain: La Saccharomyces Pastornus. The researchers believe that this episode was the spark that ignited the fire of a beer revolution in Europe, extending quickly and conquering palates throughout the continent and beyond. The history of this yeast not only reflects a biological innovation but also the influence of policies, trade and beer culture in European history.
A process in several phases: history, genetic and expansion
The development of Lager yeast is going through three clear stages: the arrival of the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae from Bohemia to Munich in the fourteenth century, the appearance of the hybrid in 1602 after the introduction of the yeast of Einbeck and, finally, its rapid diffusion throughout Europe, driven by the will of the brewers. The greatest curiosity lies in how small events, such as the extinction of a family line, can trigger changes that change beer history forever – a true science and tradition novel that continues to be written.
What does this story leave us for the future of beer?
With the advance in genetics and history, we not only understand how these yeasts that dominate the world scene were born, but also open doors for the development of new varieties and techniques. The history of the hybrid between cultures, regions and times reminds us that, in the beer world, innovation can arise in the most unsuspected places and moments. The next beer you provide can have roots in a fortuitous encounter that happened four centuries ago in a corner away from the world.
